Friday, January 25, 2013

50's Movies Ranked





Yeah, almost half of these are Disney cartoons, and directed by the same people, too.


16. Shane
1953
D: George Stevens
**********
One of the most boring and anticlimactic film I have ever sat through.  The hero just hangs out with some annoying kid for most of the movie, which builds up to an incredibly disappointing gunfight in the end.  Jack Palance has his moments as Jack Wilson, but this villain is even more overhyped and overrated than Boba Fett. 


15. The Ten Commandments
1956
D: Cecil B. DeMille
**********
Another movie I used to love as a kid.  The movie has amazing special effects, but the stilted dialogue and wooden acting make this like the 50’s equivalent of a Star Wars prequel.


14. The War of the Worlds
1953
D: Byron Haskin
**********
When I was a kid I loved this movie just because of the beautiful and distinctive designs of the alien ships.  Last time I saw it I just thought it was cheesy.


13. The Fly
1958
D: Kurt Neumann
**********
Though it’s not as good as the David Cronenberg  remake, the final scene is pretty chilling.


12. Peter Pan
1953
D: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
**********
Yet another Disney movie that defined my image of an old classic tale.


11. Alice in Wonderland
1951
D: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
**********
Not much to say, but it’s a nostalgic Disney movie.


10. Sleeping Beauty
1959
D: Clyde Geronimi, Les Clark, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman
**********
Though the two lovers are bland, it the three fairies are likable.  Maleficent is one of the best villainesses out there, and she turns into a dragon!


9. The Quiet Man
1952
D: John Ford
**********
Although it does seem a bit sexist at times, it’s a fun, light-hearted movie.


8. Scrooge
1951
D: Brian Desmond Hurst
**********
The definitive Christmas Carol adaptation until the 1984.  Alastair Sim is excellent in the title role.


1953
D: Henry Koster
**********
A great, overlooked religious classic


6. The Hidden Fortress
1958
D: Akira Kurosawa
**********
A classic which tells the story from a unique perspective (from that of two peasants).  A primary inspiration for Star Wars.


5. Mister Roberts
1955
D: John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy, Johua Logan
**********
While Hollywood often gets the Navy wrong, this hilarious comedy is one for those of us with some Naval experience.


4. Cinderella
1950
D: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
**********
A good story, with beautiful background work that looks like nothing else I know of.


3. Lady and the Tramp
1955
D: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
**********
It’s funny how the first truly identifiable and well-developed Disney heroine is a Cocker Spaniel.  Also, it has Peggy Lee in dog form.


2. The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957
D: David Lean
**********
Great movie about a man whose dedication to building a bridge for his captors conflicts with his patriotism.


1. Ben-Hur
1959
D: William Wyler
**********
The best Christian period piece.  I like the depiction of Jesus in it, and it has a chariot race that still holds up.  If they’d just release the damn thing on one Blu-Ray disc, I would buy it.







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